A huge outbreak of hepatitis A linked to pomegranate seeds in Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant blend sickened 165 people in 10 states in 2013. Seventy-one people were hospitalized in this outbreak and several recalls were issued. The FDA also investigated this outbreak.
The case count by state was as follows: Arizona (24), California (80), Colorado (29), Hawaii (8), New Hampshire (1), New Jersey (1), New Mexico (11), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). Fifty-five percent of ill persons were female. The age range was from less than one year to 84 years. Illness onset dates ranged from 3/31/2013 - 8/12/2013. Forty-two percent of all ill persons were hospitalized. No deaths were reported. All people who reported eating this product before they became ill purchased it from Costco … [Read more...]

As of July 29, 2013, there are 155 people confirmed sick with acute hepatitis A linked to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix, according to the CDC. Sixty-seven people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported.
The outbreak case count is: Arizona (23), California (76), Colorado (27), Hawaii (8), New Hampshire (1), New Mexico (9), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). The age range is between 1 and 84 years. Eleven children age 18 and under are sick; none were previously vaccinated against hepatitis A. Illness onset dates range from 3/31/13 to 7/14/13. Forty-three percent of those sickened have been hospitalized.
All ill persons who reported eating the recalled product purchased it from Costco markets. The outbreak strain of the … [Read more...]

The multi-state hepatitis A outbreak linked to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix sold at Costco stores has grown to include 151 sickened. Sixty-six people have been hospitalized in this outbreak. No deaths have been reported.
The case count by state is: Arizona (22), California (74), Colorado (27), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (9), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). The age range of patients is from 1 to 84 years. Fifty-seven percent of patients are between the ages of 40 and 64 years. All ill persons who reported eating the recalled Townsend Farms products bought it from Costco stores. The outbreak strain of the hepatitis A virus was found in clinical specimens of 89 people in seven states.
If you ate or touched this product, please … [Read more...]

As of July 17, 2013, 149 people are now sick in the hepatitis A outbreak linked to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix. Sixty-five people have been hospitalized in this outbreak with acute hepatitis A. No deaths have been reported.
The case count is as follows: Arizona (22), California (73), Colorado (27), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (8), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). The outbreak strain of the virus was found in clinical specimens of 88 people in seven states: Arizona (11), California (34), Colorado (23), Hawaii (7), New Mexico (6), Nevada (5) and Wisconsin (2). The age range of patients is from 1 to 84 years. Fifty-seven percent of those sickened are between the ages of 40 and 64. Ten children who are 18 years or younger have been … [Read more...]

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said this week that it is still tracking hepatitis A cases throughout the country as part of its surveillance of a Hep A outbreak associated with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend of berries and pomegranate seeds sold at Costco stores. Oregon-based Townsend Farms issued recalls of the frozen berry mix starting in early June, two months after the first illnesses were detected.
As of July 15, there were 147 confirmed case patients from California, Colorado, Arizona and five other states. At least 63 of the Hepatitis victims were hospitalized. New illnesses were occurring as recently as July 1 and the CDC has not declared the Townsend Farms outbreak to be complete.
Joint announcements by the CDC and FDA have indicated … [Read more...]

As of July 11, 2013, 145 people in eight states have now been sickened in the Townsend Farms-Costco hepatitis A pomegranate seed outbreak. Sixty-three people have been hospitalized; no deaths have been reported. Those sickened ate the recalled Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix purchased from Costco. Investigations have traced the virus back to pomegranate seeds imported from Turkey by Goknur Foodstuffs Import Export Trading.
The case count per state is: Arizona (21), California (70), Colorado (28), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (7), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). The cases in Wisconsin were exposed to the product in California. Fifty-six percent of the ill persons are women. The age range is from 1 to 84 years. Ten children age 18 or under … [Read more...]

U.S. District Court in Arizona is the venue for a Costco hepatitis lawsuit where food poisoning lawyers from Pritzker Olsen Attorneys and local counsel are attempting to establish where the fault lies for an outbreak in California, Colorado, Arizona and five other states that federal disease investigators have associated with Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), all ill people who reported eating this mixed berry product purchased it from Costco markets. The product also was sold at Harris Teeter stores, but no ill people have been identified that bought the product at Harris Teeter, the CDC has said.
The hepatitis lawsuit (2:13-cv-01181-ROS) names Costco Wholesale Corp. and Oregon-based Townsend Farms Inc. as … [Read more...]

The CDC has announced that the hepatitis A outbreak linked to pomegranate seeds imported from Turkey has grown to include 140 people. Sixty-one people have been hospitalized in this outbreak; no deaths have been reported. The seeds were included in the Townsend Farms product Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix that has been recalled.
Those sickened in this outbreak live in these states: Arizona (20), California (69), Colorado (26), Hawaii (8), New Mexico (6), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). All of those hospitalized are over 18 years of age. Eight children are sick in this outbreak; none were previously vaccinated against the hepatitis A virus. All ill persons who reported eating the recalled Townsend Farms product purchased it from Costco markets. … [Read more...]

The hepatitis A outbreak linked to Townsend Farms-Costco pomegranate seeds has now sickened 136 people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of July 2, 2013, people are sick in 8 states, and 59 people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
The case count by state is: Arizona (20), California (67), Colorado (25), Hawaii (7), New Mexico (6), Nevada (6), Utah (3), and Wisconsin (2). Eight children are part of this outbreak; none of them were previously vaccinated against the hepatitis A virus. Most people (58%) in this outbreak are between the ages of 40 and 64 years. All ill persons who reported eating the recalled Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend frozen berry and pomegranate mix linked to the outbreak purchased it at Costco stores. … [Read more...]

Another lawsuit has been filed in California against Costco Corporation and Townsend Farms on behalf of a victim of a multi-state hepatitis A outbreak. The source of the outbreak is frozen berries manufactured by Oregon-based Townsend Farms and sold at Costco stores, according to the suit, which is not a class action. The berries were part of a recall.
"The evidence pointing to Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend berries is extremely strong," said attorney Fred Pritzker, who is representing several other victims of the hepatitis A outbreak. "Our goal is to hold Townsend Farms and Costco accountable for these illnesses by getting full and fair compensation for our clients."
This newest lawsuit was filed against Townsend Farms and Costco Corporation in the Superior Court of Los … [Read more...]